This inaugural volume records the Gathering of the Field of Professional Dialogue. It acknowledges and celebrates the work of 25 Professional Dialogue Practitioners, and the wide variety of good work they have delivered. Some have been actively developing their Professional Dialogue careers for decades, whilst others add the innovative energy of being relative newcomers. Their combined work has provided a unique service, addressing and resolving fragmented situations in hundreds of organisations and communities in different sectors and countries around the world.

The publication is the first collection of such accounts and thereby provides the first benchmark for the field. It records the stateof Professional Dialogue in 2018, setting a standard that others will emulate and no doubt surpass in the future. The authors had their work considered at the first international conference of the Academy of Professional Dialogue, The World Needs Dialogue! Their papers were written and circulated to participants before the Academy's inaugural gathering. Extracts from the considerations with participants at the conference are included, along with their subsequently written postscripts.